Method of supporting industrial internet of things (iiot) with configured uplink grants on a shared spectrum

ABSTRACT

To transmit industrial Internet of Things (HOT) data on a communication channel, a user device receives (402), from a base station, one or more configured uplink grants for transmitting data in an unlicensed spectrum, prioritizes (404) one of the one or more configured uplink grants, and generates (406) a data packet for the prioritized configured uplink grant. Additionally, the UE performs (408) a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure with the base station. In response to determining the LBT procedure has failed, the UE identifies (416) another configured grant opportunity to transmit the data packet, and transmits (418), to the base station, a first transmission for the data packet via the other configured grant opportunity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing dateof U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/104,081 entitled “Methodof Supporting Industrial Internet of Things (HOT) with Configured UplinkGrants on a Shared Spectrum,” filed on Oct. 22, 2020, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63/104,198 entitled “Method ofSupporting Industrial Internet of Things (HOT) on a Shared Spectrum,”filed on Oct. 22, 2020, the entire disclosures of each of which ishereby expressly incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to wireless communications and, moreparticularly, to supporting transmission of industrial Internet ofThings (HOT) data in an unlicensed or otherwise shared spectrum.

BACKGROUND

This background description is for the purpose of generally presentingthe context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, tothe extent it is described in this background section, as well asaspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior artat the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted asprior art against the present disclosure.

Some wireless communication networks allow compatible devices to sharean unlicensed carrier with other radio access technologies. In suchcases, to promote fair use of the shared medium, devices operating inthe unlicensed carrier typically need to perform channel accessprocedures before transmitting messages. In particular, a device mayneed to listen for other communications (i.e., detect energy) on theunlicensed carrier before using the carrier to transmit information,thereby reducing or eliminating interference with the communications ofother networks/devices operating on that unlicensed carrier.

If a UE with IIOT data has more than one uplink grant to transmit data,the media access control (MAC) layer will prioritize only one ofavailable grants and deprioritize other grants. Then the MAC layer usesthe prioritized grant to generate a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) for theIIOT transmission. However, in situations where industrial Internet ofThings (HOT) data is deployed in the unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), if alisten-before-talk (LBT) failure occurs when transmitting IIOT data theMAC layer will not autonomously (re)transmit the MAC PDU.

More specifically, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)specification for fifth-generation (5G) radio access (“NR”) networks,and specifically 3GPP Release 16 (Rel-16) for NR-U supports autonomousretransmission using a configured grant. However, 3GPP Release 17(Rel-17) for IIOT data does not support autonomous retransmission.

Moreover, if the prioritized grant is a configured grant, the basestation does not know that UE needs to retransmit the MAC PDU.Accordingly, the base station will not schedule a retransmission for theUE, thereby resulting in data loss. Therefore, there are opportunitieswith IIOT data operating in NR-U to increase the benefits of autonomousretransmission when appropriate, such as lower overhead and delay whenLBT failure occurs, and also reduce some of the drawbacks of autonomousretransmission.

SUMMARY

To cause the UE to autonomously (re)transmit IIOT data in the unlicensedspectrum when an LBT failure occurs, the UE deprioritizes a prioritizedconfigured uplink grant. The UE then selects another configured grantopportunity to transmit the MAC PDU including the IIOT data. The UE mayselect the configured grant opportunity based on the size of theconfigured uplink grant matching the size of the MAC PDU, logicalchannels (LCHs) including the IIOT data being allowed to use theconfigured grant opportunity, and/or the configured grant type for theconfigured grant opportunity being allowed for the LCHs including theIIOT data. If these conditions are met, the Hybrid Automatic RepeatRequest (HARQ) process associated with the MAC PDU may be changed to theHARQ process for the selected configured grant opportunity.

In some implementations, the UE may determine whether the UE has beenconfigured for HARQ retransmission. If the UE is configured for HARQretransmission, the UE performs a HARQ retransmission to retransmit theMAC PDU. On the other hand, if the UE is not configured for HARQretransmission, the UE selects another configured grant opportunity andperforms a HARQ new transmission to retransmit the MAC PDU using theHARQ process for the selected configured grant opportunity.

In some implementations, the base station may provide a retransmissioncounter to the UE. If the number of retransmission is less than theretransmission counter, the UE may retransmit the MAC PDU. Otherwise,the UE stops retransmitting the MAC PDU.

One example embodiment of these techniques is a method in a UE fortransmitting IIOT data on a communication channel in an unlicensedspectrum. The method can be implemented in the UE using processinghardware and includes receiving, from a base station, a one or moreconfigured uplink grants for transmitting data in an unlicensedspectrum, prioritizing one of the one or more configured uplink grants,generating a data packet for the prioritized configured uplink grant,and performing a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure with the basestation. In response to determining the LBT procedure has failed, themethod includes identifying another configured grant opportunity totransmit the data packet, and transmitting, to the base station, a firsttransmission for the data packet via the other configured grantopportunity.

Another example embodiment of these techniques is a user device withprocessing hardware and configured to execute the methods above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example wireless communication networkthat implements the autonomous (re)transmission techniques of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a messaging diagram of an example procedure for autonomous(re)transmission in the unlicensed spectrum using configured uplinkgrants;

FIG. 3 is a messaging diagram of an example procedure for autonomous(re)transmission in the unlicensed spectrum using configured uplinkgrants and a retransmission counter;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example method for autonomous(re)transmission in the unlicensed spectrum using configured uplinkgrants when transmitting IIOT data on a communication channel, which canbe implemented in the UE of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another example method for autonomous(re)transmission in the unlicensed spectrum using configured uplinkgrants when transmitting IIOT data on a communication channel, which canbe implemented in the UE of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Using the techniques of this disclosure, a communication device such asa UE performs procedures to support transmitting IIOT data on a sharedcarrier in a manner that reduces the delay in starting a transmission(e.g., an uplink transmission that requires configuration of the UE). Asthe term is used herein, a “carrier” may be any type of frequencyspectrum or band, which corresponds to at least one channel in a givenradio access network. Moreover, as used herein, a “shared” carrier maybe an unlicensed carrier that is shared by different radio accessnetworks and/or technologies, or a carrier that is shared in some otherway and/or for some other reason (e.g., a carrier shared only among themultiple devices of a single radio access network).

These techniques are discussed below primarily with reference to 5G NRtechnologies, and more specifically with reference to operation of the5G NR network over an unlicensed carrier (i.e., NR-U operation).However, the techniques of this disclosure can apply to other radioaccess technologies, and/or to other types of shared carriers (e.g.,licensed bands that are shared by devices of a single radio accessnetwork). In the case of licensed bands, a channel access procedure ofthe type described below may or may not be performed.

Referring first to FIG. 1 , a wireless communication network 100includes a UE 102, which can be any suitable device capable of wirelesscommunications, as further discussed below. The wireless communicationnetwork 100 also includes a base station 104 associated with an NR-Ucell 106 and connected (directly or indirectly) to a 5G core network(5GC) 110. The base station 104 may operate as a 5G Node B (gNB), adistributed unit gNB (gNB-DU), or an integrated access backhaul (IAB)node, for example. While FIG. 1 depicts the base station 104 as servingonly the cell 106, it is understood that the base station 104 may alsocover one or more additional cells not shown in FIG. 1 . In general, thewireless communication network 100 can include any number of basestations, and each of the base stations may cover one, two, three, orany other suitable number of cells.

5G NR UEs operating in the cell 106, including the UE 102, can utilizean unlicensed carrier as well as portions of the radio spectrumallocated specifically to the service provider that operates the basestation 104 and the 5GC 110. When exchanging data using the 5G NR airinterface, the UE 102 and base station 104 may share the unlicensedcarrier with other devices of other radio access networks. For example,other UEs (not shown in FIG. 1 ) may be subscribers of the serviceprovider that operates the base station 104 and the 5GC 110, and becapable of communicating with the base station 104 via the unlicensedcarrier. In addition, or alternatively, other UEs utilizing theunlicensed carrier may communicate with a base station or network nodeother than the base station 104, using a different radio accesstechnology. FIG. 1 depicts an example of one such scenario, in which theUE 102 and base station 104 coexist with an access point (AP) 112. TheAP 112 can utilize spectrum that includes, or is included within, atleast a portion of the unlicensed carrier when operating in a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.The AP 112 may be configured to communicate with one or more otherdevices not shown in FIG. 1 , such as other UEs, for example. In otherimplementations and/or scenarios, the UE 102 and base station 104 also,or instead, coexist with devices operating according to other radioaccess technologies. In still another implementation and/or scenario,the base station 104 does not connect to the 5GC 110, and can operate asan AP (e.g., similar to AP 112). Thus, for example, the wirelesscommunication network 100 may omit the 5GC 110, or only use the 5GC 110in certain scenarios.

The UE 102 is equipped with processing hardware 120, which may includeone or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory storing instructions that the one or moregeneral-purpose processors can execute. Additionally or alternatively,the processing hardware 120 may include special-purpose processingunits, such as a wireless communication chipset, for example. Theprocessing hardware 120 includes an autonomous transmission module 122.The autonomous transmission module 122 may be implemented using anysuitable combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.

In operation, the autonomous transmission module 122 obtains configureduplink grants from the base station 104 and prioritizes one of theconfigured uplink grants for transmitting a data packet via theprioritized configured uplink grant. The autonomous transmission module122 then performs a channel access procedure, such as an LBT procedure,to gain access to the shared carrier in the NR-U cell 106. When thechannel access procedure fails, the autonomous transmission module 122deprioritizes the configured uplink grant and identifies anotherconfigured grant opportunity for transmitting the data packet. Theautonomous transmission module 122 then transmits the data packet usingthe other configured grant opportunity via a HARQ new transmission.

The base station 104 is equipped with processing hardware 130, which mayinclude one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and anon-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions that theone or more general-purpose processors can execute. Additionally oralternatively, the processing hardware 130 may include special-purposeprocessing units, such as a wireless communication chipset, for example.The processing hardware 130 in the example implementation of FIG. 1includes a retransmission configuration module 132.

The retransmission configuration module 132 transmits an indication inan RRC message, MAC CE, or Downlink Control Information (DCI) toconfigure the UE 102 to perform NR-U retransmission. The retransmissionconfiguration module 132 may also transmit an indication to configurethe UE 102 with a retransmission counter, so that the UE may retransmita data packet if the number of transmissions is less than or equal tothe retransmission counter.

For simplicity, FIG. 1 does not depict various components of the UE 102and the base station 104. In addition to the components mentioned above,for example, the UE 102 and the base station 104 include respectivetransceivers, which include various hardware, firmware, and/or softwarecomponents configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. Theprocessing hardware 120 and the processing hardware 130 can sendcommands and exchange information with the respective transceivers asneeded to perform various connection establishment procedures, performvarious RRC or mobility management (MM), or communicate with othernetwork elements, etc.

As mentioned above, some wireless communication networks allowcompatible devices to share an unlicensed carrier with other radioaccess technologies. In such cases, to promote fair use of the sharedmedium, devices operating in the unlicensed carrier typically need toperform channel access procedures before transmitting messages. In NR-U,for example, a user device (e.g., a UE) must perform a successful LBTprocedure to establish a channel occupancy time (COT) before using theunlicensed carrier to send PUCCH information to a base station (e.g., agNB).

Also as described above, when an LBT failure occurs, the UE 102 may notautonomously (re)transmit the MAC PDU including the IIOT data with aprioritized configured uplink grant. Additionally, for the prioritizedconfigured uplink grant, the base station 104 does not know that the UE102 needs to retransmit the MAC PDU and may not schedule retransmissionfor the UE 102. Accordingly, when an LBT failure occurs, the UE 102deprioritizes the prioritized configured uplink grant. The UE 102 thenselects another configured grant opportunity to transmit the MAC PDUincluding the IIOT data. Then, the UE 102 may retransmit the MAC PDUusing the selected configured grant opportunity.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example procedure 200 where the base station 104determines 202 to configure the UE 102 with multiple uplink grants. Thebase station 104 then transmits 204 the configured uplink grants to theUE. To transmit IIOT data to the base station 104, the UE 102prioritizes 206 one of the configured uplink grants. The UE 102 thenperforms 208 an LBT procedure with the base station 104 for theprioritized configured uplink grant. When the LBT procedure issuccessful 218, the UE 102 transmits 220 the MAC PDU in a HARQtransmission for the prioritized configured uplink grant.

On the other hand, when the LBT procedure fails 210, the UE 102deprioritizes 212 the prioritized configured uplink grant. The UE 102then selects 214 another configured grant opportunity to transmit theMAC PDU. The UE 102 may select the other configured grant opportunity bydetermining whether the other configured grant opportunity meets certainconditions. These conditions may include: the size of the configureduplink grant matching the size of the MAC PDU, LCHs including the MACPDU being allowed to use the configured grant opportunity, and/or theconfigured grant type for the configured grant opportunity being allowedfor the LCHs that include the MAC PDU.

If these conditions are met, the UE 102 may select the configured grantopportunity and perform 216 a HARQ transmission of the MAC PDU using theselected configured grant opportunity. In some scenarios, the HARQprocess for the selected configured grant opportunity may be differentfrom the HARQ process for the prioritized configured uplink grant.Accordingly, the UE 102 may change the HARQ process for transmitting theMAC PDU to the HARQ process for the selected configured grantopportunity.

The UE 102 may determine whether the UE 102 has been configured for HARQretransmission in the unlicensed spectrum. For example, the UE 102 maydetermine whether the UE 102 is configured with a configured grantretransmission timer. If the UE 102 is configured with a configuredgrant retransmission timer, the UE 102 has been configured for HARQretransmission in the unlicensed spectrum. In other implementations, thebase station 104 may transmit an indication configuring the UE 102 forHARQ retransmission in the unlicensed spectrum via an RRC message, MACCE, or DCI.

If the UE 102 is configured for HARQ retransmission in the unlicensedspectrum, the UE 102 performs a HARQ retransmission to retransmit theMAC PDU using the configured uplink grant and does not need todeprioritize the configured uplink grant or select another configuredgrant opportunity. On the other hand, if the UE 102 is not configuredfor HARQ retransmission in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 102deprioritizes the configured uplink grant and selects another configuredgrant opportunity in the manner described above. The UE 102 thenperforms a HARQ new transmission to retransmit the MAC PDU using theHARQ process for the selected configured grant opportunity.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example procedure 300 where the UE 102 isconfigured with a retransmission counter. In some implementations, theUE 102 may obtain 305-1 a pre-stored retransmission counter limit or thebase station 104 may provide 305-2 the retransmission counter limit tothe UE 102. To transmit IIOT data to the base station 104, the UE 102prioritizes 306 one of the configured uplink grants and starts 307 aretransmission counter. The UE 102 then performs 308 an LBT procedurewith the base station 104 for the prioritized configured uplink grant.When the LBT procedure is successful 318, the UE 102 transmits 320 theMAC PDU in a HARQ transmission for the prioritized configured uplinkgrant.

On the other hand, when the LBT procedure fails 310, the UE 102increments the retransmission counter and deprioritizes 312 theprioritized configured uplink grant. The UE 102 then selects 314 anotherconfigured grant opportunity to transmit the MAC PDU. Then the UE 102generates 316 a HARQ transmission of the MAC PDU for the selectedconfigured grant opportunity. Additionally, the UE 102 determines if theretransmission counter exceeds the retransmission counter limit. If theretransmission counter exceeds the retransmission counter limit, the UE102 stops retransmitting. Otherwise, the UE 102 performs 308 the LBTprocedure with the base station 104 again to retransmit the MAC PDU viathe generated HARQ transmission.

In some implementations, the UE 102 may start a configured grant timer,and while the configured grant timer is running, if the number ofretransmission is less than or equal to the retransmission counterlimit, the UE 102 may retransmit the MAC PDU in a HARQ retransmission ora HARQ new transmission. Otherwise, the UE 102 may stop retransmittingthe MAC PDU. The retransmission counter may be reset when the configuredgrant timer expires or an acknowledgement is received. In someimplementations, the configured grant timer may be configured for aparticular HARQ process and prevents the same HARQ process ID from beingassociated with a new transmission for the timer period. Theretransmission counter, on the other hand, does not prevent the sameHARQ process ID from being associated with a new transmission, such thatthe HARQ process for transmitting the MAC PDU may be changed to the HARQprocess for the selected configured grant opportunity.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method 400 for autonomous (re)transmissionin the unlicensed spectrum using configured uplink grants whentransmitting IIOT data on a communication channel. The method 400 isimplemented in a user device such as the UE 102. At block 402, the UE102 receives configured uplink grants from the base station 104 (e.g.,in event 204 in FIG. 2 ) or the UE 102 obtains configured grants thathave been previously received from the base station 104 and stored atthe UE 102.

At block 404, the UE 102 prioritizes one of the configured uplink grants(e.g., in event 206 in FIG. 2 ). At block 406, the UE 102 generates adata packet such as a MAC PDU which may include IIOT data, where the MACPDU will be transmitted to the base station 104 for the prioritizedconfigured uplink grant. Then at block 408, the UE 102 performs achannel access procedure such as an LBT procedure (e.g., in event 208 inFIG. 2 ) with the base station 104 for the prioritized configured uplinkgrant. When the LBT procedure is successful, the UE 102 transmits theMAC PDU in a HARQ transmission for the prioritized configured uplinkgrant (block 412) (e.g., in event 220 in FIG. 2 ).

On the other hand, when the LBT procedure fails, the UE 102deprioritizes the configured uplink grant (block 414) (e.g., in event212 in FIG. 2 ). The UE 102 then selects another configured grantopportunity to transmit the MAC PDU (block 416) (e.g., in event 214 inFIG. 2 ). The UE 102 may select the other configured grant opportunityby determining whether the other configured grant opportunity meetscertain conditions. These conditions may include: the size of theconfigured uplink grant matching the size of the MAC PDU, LCHs includingthe MAC PDU being allowed to use the configured grant opportunity,and/or the configured grant type for the configured grant opportunitybeing allowed for the LCHs that include the MAC PDU.

If these conditions are met, the UE 102 may select the configured grantopportunity and perform a HARQ new transmission of the MAC PDU using theselected configured grant opportunity (block 418) (e.g., in event 216 inFIG. 2 ). In some scenarios, the HARQ process for the selectedconfigured grant opportunity may be different from the HARQ process forthe prioritized configured uplink grant. Accordingly, the UE 102 maychange the HARQ process for transmitting the MAC PDU to the HARQ processfor the selected configured grant opportunity.

In some implementations, the UE 102 may determine whether the UE 102 hasbeen configured for HARQ retransmission in the unlicensed spectrum. Forexample, the UE 102 may determine whether the UE 102 is configured witha configured grant retransmission timer. If the UE 102 is configuredwith a configured grant retransmission timer, the UE 102 has beenconfigured for HARQ retransmission in the unlicensed spectrum. In otherimplementations, the base station 104 may transmit an indicationconfiguring the UE 102 for HARQ retransmission in the unlicensedspectrum via an RRC message, MAC CE, or DCI.

If the UE 102 is configured for HARQ retransmission in the unlicensedspectrum, the UE 102 performs HARQ retransmission to retransmit the MACPDU using the configured uplink grant and does not need to deprioritizethe configured uplink grant or select another configured grantopportunity. On the other hand, if the UE 102 is not configured for HARQretransmission in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 102 performs a HARQnew transmission to retransmit the MAC PDU using the HARQ process forthe selected configured grant opportunity.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example method 500 for autonomous(re)transmission in the unlicensed spectrum using configured uplinkgrants when transmitting IIOT data on a communication channel. Themethod 500 is implemented in a user device such as the UE 102. Themethod 500 is similar to the method 400 in FIG. 4 , but in the method500 the UE 102 is configured with a retransmission counter.

At block 502, the UE 102 obtains an indication of a retransmissioncounter limit (e.g., in events 305-1 or 305-2 in FIG. 3 ). Theretransmission counter limit may be pre-stored at the UE 102 or the basestation 104 may provide the retransmission counter limit to the UE 102.

The UE 102 receives configured uplink grants from the base station 104or the UE 102 obtains configured grants that have been previouslyreceived from the base station 104 and stored at the UE 102. The UE 102prioritizes one of the configured uplink grants and generates a datapacket such as a MAC PDU which may include IIOT data, where the MAC PDUwill be transmitted to the base station 104 for the prioritizedconfigured uplink grant.

Then at block 504, the UE 102 starts a retransmission counter (e.g., inevent 307 in FIG. 3 ). At block 506, the UE 102 performs a channelaccess procedure such as an LBT procedure (e.g., in event 308 in FIG. 3) with the base station 104 for the prioritized configured uplink grant.When the LBT procedure is successful, the UE 102 transmits the MAC PDUin a HARQ transmission for the prioritized configured uplink grant(block 510) (e.g., in event 320 in FIG. 3 ).

On the other hand, when the LBT procedure fails, the UE 102 incrementsthe retransmission counter (block 512) (e.g., in event 311 in FIG. 3 )and deprioritizes the configured uplink grant. The UE 102 then selectsanother configured grant opportunity to transmit the MAC PDU (block 514)(e.g., in event 314 in FIG. 3 ). The UE 102 may generate a HARQ newtransmission of the MAC PDU using the selected configured grantopportunity (block 516) (e.g., in event 316 in FIG. 3 ).

Additionally, the UE 102 determines if the retransmission counterexceeds the retransmission counter limit. If the retransmission counterexceeds the retransmission counter limit, the UE 102 stopsretransmitting. Otherwise, the UE 102 performs the LBT procedure withthe base station 104 again to retransmit the MAC PDU via the generatedHARQ transmission (block 506).

Embodiments of the techniques described in the present disclosure mayinclude any number of the following aspects, either alone orcombination:

-   -   1. A method in a UE for transmitting industrial Internet of        Things (HOT) data on a communication channel in an unlicensed        spectrum, the method comprising: receiving, by processing        hardware in a UE from a base station, one or more configured        uplink grants for transmitting data in an unlicensed spectrum;        prioritizing, by the processing hardware, one of the one or more        configured uplink grants; generating, by the processing        hardware, a data packet for the prioritized configured uplink        grant; performing, by the processing hardware, a        listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure with the base station; in        response to determining the LBT procedure has failed:        identifying, by the processing hardware, an other configured        grant opportunity to transmit the data packet; and transmitting,        by the processing hardware to the base station, a first        transmission for the data packet via the other configured grant        opportunity.    -   2. The method according to aspect 1, further comprising:        deprioritizing, by the processing hardware, the prioritized        configured uplink grant in response to determining the LBT        procedure has failed.    -   3. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        further comprising: configuring, by the processing hardware, a        retransmission counter; and retransmitting, by the processing        hardware to the base station, the first transmission for the        data packet in response to determining that a number of        retransmissions is less than or equal to the retransmission        counter.    -   4. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        further comprising: determining, by the processing hardware,        that the UE is configured to use a configured grant        retransmission timer; starting, by the processing hardware, the        configured grant retransmission timer; and resetting, by the        processing hardware, the retransmission counter when the        configured grant retransmission timer expires.    -   5. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        further comprising: determining, by the processing hardware,        whether the UE is configured to perform retransmission in an        unlicensed spectrum; in response to determining that the UE is        not configured to perform retransmission in the unlicensed        spectrum: identifying, by the processing hardware, the other        configured grant opportunity to transmit the data packet; and        transmitting, by the processing hardware to the base station, a        second transmission for the data packet using the other        configured grant opportunity.    -   6. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        wherein determining whether the UE is configured to perform        retransmission in an unlicensed spectrum includes at least one        of: determining, by the processing hardware, that the UE is        configured to use a configured grant retransmission timer; or        receiving, by the processing hardware from the base station, an        indication in a message or control element to perform        retransmission in the unlicensed spectrum.    -   7. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        wherein the second transmission is a hybrid automatic repeat        request (HARQ) retransmission.    -   8. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        wherein identifying an other configured grant opportunity to        transmit the data packet includes identifying, by the processing        hardware, the other configured grant opportunity wherein at        least one of: a size of the other configured grant opportunity        matches a size of a protocol data unit (PDU) associated with a        media access control (MAC) layer for the data packet; logical        channels including the MAC PDU are allowed to use the other        configured grant opportunity; or logical channels including the        MAC PDU are allowed to use a configured grant type for the other        configured grant opportunity.    -   9. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        wherein the MAC PDU is transmitted using a hybrid automatic        repeat request (HARQ) transmission scheme, wherein a first HARQ        transmission scheme for the prioritized configured uplink grant        is different from a second HARQ transmission scheme for the        other configured grant opportunity, and further comprising        adjusting, by the processing hardware, a process for        transmitting the MAC PDU to the base station from the first HARQ        transmission scheme to the second HARQ transmission scheme.    -   10. The method according to any one of the preceding aspects,        wherein the first transmission is a hybrid automatic repeat        request (HARQ) new transmission.    -   11. A user device comprising processing hardware configured to        execute a method according to any of one of claims 1-10.

The following additional considerations apply to the foregoingdiscussion.

A user device in which the techniques of this disclosure can beimplemented (e.g., the UE 102) can be any suitable device capable ofwireless communications such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, alaptop computer, a mobile gaming console, a point-of-sale (POS)terminal, a health monitoring device, a drone, a camera, amedia-streaming dongle or another personal media device, a wearabledevice such as a smartwatch, a wireless hotspot, a femtocell, or abroadband router. Further, the user device in some cases may be embeddedin an electronic system such as the head unit of a vehicle or anadvanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Still further, the user devicecan operate as an internet-of-things (IoT) device or a mobile-internetdevice (MID). Depending on the type, the user device can include one ormore general-purpose processors, a computer-readable memory, a userinterface, one or more network interfaces, one or more sensors, etc.

Certain implementations are described in this disclosure as includinglogic or a number of components or modules. Modules may can be softwaremodules (e.g., code stored on non-transitory machine-readable medium) orhardware modules. A hardware module is a tangible unit capable ofperforming certain operations and may be configured or arranged in acertain manner. A hardware module can comprise dedicated circuitry orlogic that is permanently configured (e.g., as a special-purposeprocessor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) to perform certainoperations. A hardware module may also comprise programmable logic orcircuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor orother programmable processor) that is temporarily configured by softwareto perform certain operations. The decision to implement a hardwaremodule in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

When implemented in software, the techniques can be provided as part ofthe operating system, a library used by multiple applications, aparticular software application, etc. The software can be executed byone or more general-purpose processors or one or more special-purposeprocessors.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate,through the principles disclosed herein, still additional alternativestructural and functional designs for supporting transmission of IIOTdata. Thus, while particular implementations and applications have beenillustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosedimplementations are not limited to the precise construction andcomponents disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes andvariations, which will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart, may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methodand apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit andscope defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1-11. (canceled)
 12. A method for communicating inan unlicensed spectrum by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:receiving, by the UE from a base station, a first configured uplinkgrant configuration for transmitting data in an unlicensed spectrum anda second configured uplink grant configuration for transmitting data inthe unlicensed spectrum; generating, by the UE, a data packet for thefirst configured uplink grant configuration using a first hybridautomatic repeat request (HARQ), transmission scheme; performing, by theUE for the first configured uplink grant configuration, a firstlisten-before-talk (LBT), procedure; and in response to determining thatthe first LBT procedure has failed: identifying, by the UE, anopportunity to transmit the data packet using the second configureduplink grant configuration; performing, by the UE for the secondconfigured uplink grant configuration, a second LBT procedure; and inresponse to determining that the second LBT procedure has beensuccessful, transmitting, by the UE to the base station, the data packetusing a second HARQ transmission scheme different from the first HARQtransmission scheme via the opportunity in a HARQ retransmission. 13.The method of claim 12, further comprising: prioritizing, by the UE, thefirst configured uplink grant configuration over the second configureduplink grant configuration.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: deprioritizing, by the UE, the first configured uplink grantconfiguration in response to determining the LBT procedure has failed.15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: configuring, by the UE,a retransmission counter; and retransmitting, by the UE to the basestation, the data packet in response to determining that a number ofretransmissions is less than or equal to the retransmission counter. 16.The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining, by the UE, thatthe UE is configured to use a configured grant retransmission timer;starting, by the UE, the configured grant retransmission timer; andresetting, by the UE, the retransmission counter when the configuredgrant retransmission timer expires.
 17. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: determining, by the UE, that the UE is configured to performretransmission in an unlicensed spectrum.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein determining whether the UE is configured to performretransmission in an unlicensed spectrum includes at least one of:determining, by the UE, that the UE is configured to use a configuredgrant retransmission timer; or receiving, by the UE from the basestation, an indication in a message or control element to performretransmission in the unlicensed spectrum.
 19. The method of claim 12,wherein at least one of: a size of the second configured uplink grantconfiguration matches a size of a protocol data unit (PDU), associatedwith a media access control (MAC), layer for the data packet; logicalchannels including the MAC PDU are allowed to use the second configureduplink grant configuration; or logical channels including the MAC PDUare allowed to use a configured grant type for the second configureduplink grant configuration.
 20. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising: adjusting, by the UE, a process for transmitting the MAC PDUto the base station from the first HARQ transmission scheme to thesecond HARQ transmission scheme.
 21. A user device comprising processinghardware configured to: receive, by the user device from a base station,a first configured uplink grant configuration for transmitting data inan unlicensed spectrum and a second configured uplink grantconfiguration for transmitting data in the unlicensed spectrum;generate, by the user device, a data packet for the first configureduplink grant configuration using a first hybrid automatic repeat request(HARQ), transmission scheme; perform, by the user device for the firstconfigured uplink grant configuration, a first listen-before-talk (LBT),procedure; and in response to the user device determining that the firstLBT procedure has failed: identify, by the user device, an opportunityto transmit the data packet using the second configured uplink grantconfiguration; perform, by the user device for the second configureduplink grant configuration, a second LBT procedure; and in response todetermining that the second LBT procedure has been successful,transmitting, by the user device to the base station, the data packetusing a second HARQ transmission scheme different from the first HARQtransmission scheme via the opportunity in a HARQ retransmission. 22.The user device of claim 21, wherein the processing hardware is furtherconfigured to: prioritize, by the user device, the first configureduplink grant configuration over the second configured uplink grantconfiguration.
 23. The user device of claim 22, wherein the processinghardware is further configured to: deprioritize, by the user device, thefirst configured uplink grant configuration in response to determiningthe LBT procedure has failed.
 24. The user device of claim 21, whereinthe processing hardware is further configured to: configure, by the userdevice, a retransmission counter; and retransmit, by the user device tothe base station, the data packet in response to determining that anumber of retransmissions is less than or equal to the retransmissioncounter.
 25. The user device of claim 24, wherein the processinghardware is further configured to: determine, by the user device, thatthe user device is configured to use a configured grant retransmissiontimer; start, by the user device, the configured grant retransmissiontimer; and reset, by the user device, the retransmission counter whenthe configured grant retransmission timer expires.
 26. The user deviceof claim 21, wherein the processing hardware is further configured to:determine, by the user device, that the user device is configured toperform retransmission in an unlicensed spectrum.
 27. The user device ofclaim 26, wherein the user device determines whether the user device isconfigured to perform retransmission in an unlicensed spectrum byperforming at least one of: determining, by the user device, that theuser device is configured to use a configured grant retransmissiontimer; or receiving, by the user device from the base station, anindication in a message or control element to perform retransmission inthe unlicensed spectrum.
 28. The user device of claim 21, wherein atleast one of: a size of the second configured uplink grant configurationmatches a size of a protocol data unit (PDU), associated with a mediaaccess control (MAC), layer for the data packet; logical channelsincluding the MAC PDU are allowed to use the second configured uplinkgrant configuration; or logical channels including the MAC PDU areallowed to use a configured grant type for the second configured uplinkgrant configuration.
 29. The user device of claim 28, wherein theprocessing hardware is further configured to: adjust, by the userdevice, a process for transmitting the MAC PDU to the base station fromthe first HARQ transmission scheme to the second HARQ transmissionscheme.